Table 1 MSCs and MSC-exosomes for therapeutic applications: benefits and drawbacks.
Positive aspects | Negative aspects | |
|---|---|---|
MSCs | Simple to isolate and collect | Probability of transmitting infections |
Highly prolific | Concerns over the associated regenerative process | |
Multilineage differentiation | ||
Limited likelihood of immunological issues | ||
Cumulated experimental and clinical outcomes | ||
MSC-exosomes | Effectiveness via particular proteins in the exosome membranes and natural homing capability | A minimal isolation procedure is indicated |
Low chance of teratoma development | No controlled production procedures | |
Excellent medication delivery system for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances | Quick elimination from the bloodstream upon injection (in vivo) | |
Unaffected by freezing and thawing (compared with cells) | Challenges in isolating and purifying exosomes containing certain bioactive compounds | |
Paracrine function | Deficiency of methods and tools to precisely characterize the chemical and physical characteristics of exosomes | |
Minimal and restricted investigations on exosome-based treatments | ||
Probability of transmitting infections |
